Monday, August 16, 2004
easy does it
Ever wonder why (in addition to competitive pressures) many college basketball programs operate beyond the bounds of ethical behavior and outside the academic codes of conduct applied to the rest of the university?Because even when a program is found guilty of serious violations, the NCAA merely slaps 'em on the wrist. Witness Georgia (a repeat violator of NCAA rules because of sanctions imposed on the football team in 1997).
Jim Harrick's Bulldogs were found guilty of wiring a player money, giving out false grades to players who had failed to attend class, and not requiring student-athletes to pay for their own long-distance calls. Harrick Jr., if you remember, was found to have given his players a final exam chalk full of difficult questions, including "How many goals are on a basketball court" and "In what league do the Georgia Bulldogs compete?" (See if you could pass his test here).
The result? Four year's probation -- but no postseason ban. One (!) scholarship lost for each of the next three seasons. Ugh.
Harrick deserves out of coaching. Forever. (Yes, the ABA counts). Jr. Deserves a one-way ticket to the county jail. And Georgia is worthy of a two-year postseason ban, several lost scholarships and a financial penalty.
